Button remover



Jan. 5, 1954 w Lcz K 2,664,629

BUTTON REMOVER Original Filed July 2, 1948 John Pawe/czak INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 5, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE BUTTON REMOVER John Pawelczak, San Diego, Calif.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in instruments or tools employed by tailors, seamstresses, and the like, and the principal object of the invention is to facilitate convenient and expeditious removal of buttons, without damaging the cloth or fabric to which they are secured.

This object is achieved by the provision of what may be referred to as a button remover wherein a plate carrying a cutter blade is provided with a slot disposed in such manner that the cutting edge of the blade covers a portion of the slot, so that by simply sliding the thread by which the button is secured into the slot, the thread is severed and removal of the button is facilitated.

'An important feature of the invention resides in the provision of means for guiding large buttons toward the cutting edge of the blade.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of means for quickly and easily replacing the cutter blade when necessary.

An important advantage of the invention is that the cutter blade, being spaced by the plate on which it is mounted from the material to which the button is secured, is not in a position where it could damage that material, regardless of how carelessly the device is manipulated.

Another advantage of the invention lies in its simplicity of construction, ease and convenience of manipulation, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

This application is a substitute for my earlier application Serial No. 36,655, filed on July 2, 1948, now abandoned.

With the above more important objects in view, I

and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention, showing the same in use;

Figure 2 is a group perspective view of the invention, and V Figure 3 is a cross sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 3-4 in Figure 1.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the invention consists of a button remover designated generally by the reference character I0, the same embodying in its construction a base plate l2 configurated substan- 1 Claim- (Cl. 30294) tially as shown, and a clamping plate l4 which, in configuration, conforms to a portion of the base plate I2, substantially as shown.

It is to be noted that the plate It is removably attached to the plate I2 by means of a suitable screw l6 and a dowel I8 is provided on the un derside'of the plate 14, being receivable in an aperture 20 formed in the plate l2, whereby rela tive rotation of the two plates is prevented.

Eye-shaped portions 22, 24 of the plates l2, [4, respectively, coact together when the plates are assembled to provide What may be referred to as a handle, so that the entire device may be easily and conveniently manipulated.

The essence of novelty in the invention resides in the formation of a slot 26 in the base plate l2, this slot having an open outer end 28 and a pair of longitudinal, inwardly tapered edges 38, 32 which terminate in a closed inner end 34, as is best shown in Figure 2.

A cutter blade 36 is removably interposed between the plates l2, Hi, this blade being preferably of the single edge type commonly used in safety razors, and having a cutting edge 38 on one side while its remaining side portion is equipped with a channel-shaped reinforcement All.

This reinforcement is receivable in elongated recesses 42, 44 provided in the plates l2, l4, respectively, these recesses being configurated so as to facilitate firm retention of the blade 36 between the two plates, as will be clearly apparent. It is to be noted, however, that the blade 36 is so disposed that the cutting edge portion thereof covers the closed inner end 34 and a substantial portion of the edge 32 of the slot 26, a substantial portion of the edge 30 of the slot remaining exposed, substantially as shown in Figure 1.

Accordingly, when the invention is placed in use, the thread (indicated at 45) by which the button 68 is secured to the fabric 56 is simply inserted in the slot 28, this being accomplished by sliding the device under the button, so that the inwardly converging edge 30 of the slot 26 eventually presses the thread against the cutting edge 38 of the blade 35, whereby the thread is severed and removal of the button is facilitated.

The open end portions of the slot 26 may be arcuated as at 52 to facilitate passing of the device under the button, and the under surface of the plate !2 may also be arcuated at the edges 30, 32 of the slot 26 as indicated at 54 in Figure 3, in the nature of a step in a like direction.

It is to be noted, however, that the thickness of the plate l2 will effectively separate the blade 3 36 from the material 50, so that the material will not become damaged while the button is being removed.

In instances where relatively large buttons are to be removed, the base plate I 2 may be provided at one edge thereof with an upturned, arcuate flange 56, this flange having an outer end portion 58 disposed adjacent the outer end 28 of the slot 26 and extending inwardly toward the inner end 34 of the slot, as is best shown in Figure 2. In other words, as the flange 56 extends inwardly, it becomes progressively closer to the slot, so that when the device is applied to the button, a relatively large button will engage the flange 56 and will be urged thereby in the direction of the blade 36, so that the thread which secures the button in position is cut by the edge 38.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will be clearly apparent from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further description thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

In a button remover, the combination of a base plate provided with a slot having an open outer end and a pair of inwardly convergent longitudinal edges, a cutter blade secured to said plate and having a cutting edge extending obliquely of said slot whereby one longitudinal edge and an inner portion of the second longitudinal edge of the slot are covered by the blade, the remaining outer portion of said second longitudinal edge of the slot being curved inwardly toward said cutting edge for guiding a button holding thread against the latter, and an upstanding flange provided on said plate adjacent to but spaced from said second longitudinal edge, said flange being curved inwardly toward the inner end of said slot and having a sharper curvature than said outer portion of said second longitudinal edge, whereby a button to be severed may be guided by said flange in assistance to the guiding of the stated thread.

JOHN PAWELCZAK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,445,667 Dearholt Feb. 20, 1923 1,553,449 Kennedy Sept. 15, 1925 1,728,694 Giglio Sept. 1'7, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 64,534 Denmark June 3, 19% 

